Training
If you can train your dog to sit and roll over then who says you can’t train your pet to avoid mulch?
Training dogs not to do something they enjoy can be hard, especially if you don’t have experience. You might want to visit your local training school or have a few private lessons with a trainer to get some tips.
Although this might not be the cheapest option to prevent your dog from eating mulch, it could be worthwhile if you have the budget and time available to train your dog. Plus, all that training might come in handy with other situations down the road.
To try to deter your dog yourself, teach them the “leave it” command by telling them to leave the mulch alone and rewarding them when they do with a treat.
Tips for Stopping Your Dog From Eating Mulch
No one wants their dog to get ill from eating mulch. Plus, we want that mulch to stay where we put it, right? To avoid any unnecessary trips to the local veterinarian and having to replace any mulch that gets eaten up, try the following tips:
Block Off the Area
Sometimes the best solution is just to block off the entire area where the mulch is. That way, you can put your mind at ease when your dog is wandering outside in the garden and playing. Plus, you don’t need a lot of material or money for this solution.
You can make a low fence with wire or metal so it’s high enough to block your dog from jumping over it onto the mulch. Another trick for separating the rest of your garden from the mulch is by giving your dog its own playpen.
Nowadays you can find many options for portable fences online or you can make your own.
My dog that eats the mulch
When I started using mulch to improve my garden, one of my first problems was my canine companion: he immediately wanted to investigate and eat this material. I was alarmed for obvious reasons.
It goes without saying, dogs aren’t supposed to eat mulch. If a canine eats too much of this material, there could be serious repercussions that we’ll learn about later. I’d put down the mulch to help my plant health, not to be devoured by my pooch!
But why did this happen? Well, my dog has an amazing sense of smell like yours probably does. They tend to investigate new and strong smells on their territory and other places around them.
If you’re a gardener, you know that mulch tends to have a distinctive smell, and dogs will gravitate toward it.
The fact mulch usually includes wood chips means that it has a chewy morsel that your dog will find irresistible. Unfortunately, though, chewing on wood chips can be dangerous for dogs. If your pooch swallows any of the wood, he may suffer from serious medical problems such as a blocked trachea or intestinal passages.
Mulch is a material, or more accurately, a combination of materials that you put down in your garden to help retain moisture in the soil and prevent weed growth. When you use mulch, you usually don’t have to water as intensively. It also means a lot less time weeding and dealing with pest issues.
There are both organic and inorganic mulch varieties available. Organic mulches are the most popular, and they’re the ones we’re talking about here. They may include various materials, such as wood chips, compost, grass clippings, straw, chopped leaves, pine needles, or sawdust.
